The present invention relates generally to an easily loadable gun. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rotatable breech gun.
Telescoped ammunition enhances shell storage densities and ammunition feeding because telescoped shells are more uniform in diameter and shorter in length than conventional shells of comparable caliber. Although telescoped shells are generally larger in diameter than equivalent conventional shells, their generally shorter length facilitates shell handling and feeding.
Further advantages of telescoped ammunition include enhanced cannon design and configuration because of the shorter ammunition length. For example, the breech loading mechanism may be shorter than the corresponding structure used with conventional shells. This shorter loading mechanism provides more flexibility when designing guns because the gun may be pivoted to a higher degree when used while maintaining a low profile during transportation to the location where the gun is to be used.
One such gun that uses telescoped ammunition is disclosed in Stoner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,933. The Stoner gun includes a rotatably mounted breech assembly that is rotated within a breach box to a position that is normal to a central axis of the gun to load ammunition into the gun. Thereafter, the breech assembly is rotated so that the ammunition is aligned along the central axis of the gun so that the gun may be fired. The two side members of the breach box hold the components of the gun together when the ammunition is fired.
Still other patents disclose the use of using rotatable chambers to load ammunition into guns. For example, Underwood, U.S. Pat. No. 38,772; Howard, U.S. Pat. No. 39,232; Achterholt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,312; and Bouvard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,362, each disclose handheld guns having a loading mechanism that is rotatable along an axis that is normal to a central axis of the gun.
Bird, U.S. Pat. No. 2,790,353, discloses a mechanism for feeding ammunition into a firearm. The mechanism includes a chamber that is rotatable about an axis that is parallel to and offset from a central axis of the gun. When the chamber is in the loading position, a projectile is fed into a front portion of the chamber and the propellant is fed into a back portion of the chamber. Thereafter, the drum is rotated to move the loaded chamber into alignment with the gun barrel and the gun is fired.
In spite of the many benefits associated with the use of telescoped ammunition in rotatable breech guns, the forces generated in large bore variations of these guns causes the components in the rotatable breech region of the gun to separate and thereby permit gas to leak from the gun during the firing process. The leaking gases not only adversely affect the performance of the gun but also require the use of additional precautions to prevent operators who fire the gun from being injured by contact with the gases.
While it is theoretically possible to increase the strengths of the components in rotatable breech guns by simply making the components of the breech box from thicker materials, using thicker materials increases the overall weight of the rotatable breech guns, which reduces the ability to easily transport these guns to the location where the guns are to be used.
Rochelle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,678 propose one solution to address some of the issues associated with using telescoped ammunition. Rochelle et al disclose forming the gun without a breech box. The breech, the chamber and the sleeve are retained using collars at the front and rear ends of the chamber. The collars engage grooves in the breech and the sleeve to maintain the components together during firing without the need for a breech box.
The present invention is directed to a rotatable breech gun. The rotatable breech gun includes a breech assembly, a breech housing and a gun barrel. The breech assembly has a breech bore formed therein that receives ammunition loaded through an end thereof. The breech housing has at least one side member oriented parallel to the breech bore. The breech assembly is rotatably mounted in the breech housing. The gun barrel has a gun bore extending therethrough. The gun barrel is operably connected to the breech housing such that the gun bore is aligned with the breech bore when the breech assembly is rotated in position within the breech housing.
The breech assembly and the breech housing further include corresponding mating structures proximate at least one end of the breech bore such that forces generated by ignition of ammunition in the breech bore are transmitted to both the breech assembly and the at least one side member of the breech housing.
Transmitting forces generated by ignition of ammunition to both the breech assembly and the at least one side member of the breech housing produces a seal between the breech assembly and the breech housing that prevents or substantially reduces the flow of gases generated during firing of the rotatable breech gun from passing between the breech assembly and the breech housing.